Magnificent Meetings - 5 Tips for SuccessWritten by Peter Murphy
It is already marked in your diary in red ink - MEETING. You wish you could skip it because you have so much work to do. Deep down though there is another reason you would like to avoid meeting - what if a colleague puts you on spot and you make a fool of yourself in front of everyone? Meetings make you nervous and you never seem to make impression you would like to.Your impact at meetings will determine in a big way how well you do in your career. In other words you will rise as high as your communication skills will let you. Ability and competence in your position is expected - how well you get your point accross will make difference between your opinion being valued and your input getting forgotten one more time. Look at any business leader, politician or community spokesperson. What do they all have in common? The ability to speak in a way that really gets people to listen even when people may not agree with them. What success tips can you learn from effective communicators that is applicable to your occupation? 1 Prepare in advance for meeting. Make sure you are up to date with subject matter and that you have covered your area of responsibility. Your confidence will grow when you can anticipate what will be discussed. Walking into a meeting unprepared is an invitation for tense moments and anxiety in case someone catches you out. Thorough preparation is essential. 2 Rehearse what you will say. In your mind run through possible scenarios with people attending meeting. Picture yourself relaxed, confident and even enjoying yourself as you make your voice heard. See others listening attentively to what you have to say and valuing your opinion. Make pictures lifelike with rich color, sound and feelings. I recommend doing this evening before meeting, when you are relaxed, for at least 20 minutes
| | Lose your career and find your new lifeWritten by Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D.
I hear from many people who feel trapped in a career after fifteen or twenty happy, productive years. It's been a good ride, they say, but now it's time to jump off train. They want to fulfill a creative dream, recover from burnout or just try something new. The old challenge is now a "been there, done that."Midlife career change is both easier and harder than starting out in world of work. Change is easier because you have resources to grease rails. You have savings, equity in your house, and a retirement fund. More important, you have acquired skills, contacts and networks. You may be able to use resources of your current employer to develop new skills. On other hand, change is hard because you have invested in your career identity. People feel stressed when their identity is interrupted through a move, career change or other life transition. Often people focus only on skills and values of their new careers, but ignore impact on identity. Yet I have seen people falter and give up on new careers because they were uncomfortable with new way they had to define themselves. Just saying, "I am…" creates a new reality. At same time, once you begin to acquire a new identity, you increase your risk. It will be more difficult to return to a former career or job once you have begun to enjoy a new identity. And your former colleagues will see you differently.
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